


Alien Thoughts

by Astronut



Category: Star Wars Legends: X-Wing Series - Aaron Allston & Michael Stackpole
Genre: Gand - Freeform, Givin, Mathematics, Pretentious, Verpine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2020-10-13 15:48:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20585033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Astronut/pseuds/Astronut
Summary: Events of the first four Rogue Squadron books as viewed by some of the alien characters.





	1. I, Gand

I, Gand

Gand should be honored, this Gand knows. But how can Gand be proud of leaving Gand’s people? Gand are hunters, of this Gand is aware. Gand hunt the mists for food, for knowledge, for life. What does Gand hunt in the vacuum of space? Gand hunts and finds death. 

They say Gand should be proud of hunting death. Of finding death, so Gand may find life. Of destroying the destroyers. For this Gand is honored. But Gand feels no honor in this. Yes, Gand has destroyed the enemy. Yes, Gand has freed worlds. But Gand knows how Gand has failed. Gand has found death in the vacuum for his friends. 

Yet Gand continues to hunt, knowing that the death Qrygg has found was the when and the where it needed to be. For in each death, each friend, each enemy, Qrygg has found life. Even in the darkest of mists, life flourishes. Mere invisible currents in the mists, but changing, altering nonetheless. 

And Qrygg has found the life that surrounds Ooryl. Life in mates, such as Horn and Mirax. Life in friends, such as Commander Wedge and Captain Tycho. Life in purpose, such as Rogue Squadron. Ooryl sees the life and rejoices. 

For I know that it is rare to find such life in those that have seen so much death. And I am proud to be among those that fight for that life and the lives of others. I am proud to be a Rogue. So, it is with pride I accept this honor. Pride in life. Pride in being able to share that life. 

I shall have to find Horn to share this honor, just as I share life. 


	2. We, Verpine

We, Verpine

(Translated in its entirety, without editing, by M-3PO)

3 fingers on a fist, 10 fists in a cluster, 10 clusters in a colony, 10 colonies in a hive. This is how we count. For what is the hive, but an extension of ourselves? What are our fingers if not tools of the hive? 

4 fists in a squadron, 2 fingers per X-Wing, 8 fists in our crew. That is 1 cluster and 6 fists of Verpine and non-Verpine hands working to prepare Rogue Squadron for duty. We are the techs, the living creatures that keep the mechanical creatures functioning. Right now, we see 1 live creature and 1 mechanical creature, both in need of repair. 

3 fists and 1 finger of appendages on human hands. Humans count in Base 10. Each number added to its predecessor, each place growing by a power. But this is not great enough. 

2 fists of appendages on our hands, so it is assumed we must count as humans do. The droid says we count in Base 6. It does not understand. It has never been a part of a whole. 

3 fingers on a fist, 30 fingers in a cluster, 300 fingers in a colony, 3000 fingers in a hive. Together, 3000 fingers accomplish more. A magnitude greater number, a magnitude greater society. This is our Base 6, and we are it. 

3 fingers on our fist. We are the hive, but we are also us. We have chosen to join Rogue Squadron’s support crew. In this way we support the hive. 

4 fists in a squadron. The Commander understands. Despite the droid’s lack of understanding, he knows. 

48 fists in a gross, he says. From the human perspective, this is true. 4 clusters, 8 fists, this is Verpine. 

1 finger of 4 fists, that is what the Commander is. He knows what it is to be a part of a hive, a squadron. All of the fingers are extensions of the hive, working together to accomplish a goal. 

4 fists or 48, it does not matter to the Commander how we count. The paint is added, brushed on atom-by-atom, or splashed on patch-by-patch. The method does not matter to him. What matters is that paint is being added at all.

1 colony, 2 clusters, 8 fists, and 2 fingers. This is how many kills he has. How much life he has taken. 

1 cluster and 2 fingers. This is how many symbols would adorn his X-Wing, had they been grouped by 4 fists. 

6 fists is a nicer number than 4. It is the number of fingers on two hands. So 7 fists and 2 fingers will be painted on his X-Wing. We doubt he will notice or miss the others absence and will be cheered by the lack of paint. The lack of death. 

1 colony. The deaths will still be there, unseen but to Verpine eyes. Our eyes are better than a humans. This is what makes us useful. 

1 finger, that’s all the Commander is. But we will keep that 1 finger in good repair, happy, and ready for use. 

1 finger of a New Republic of hives of hives of hives, this is what we are. Together, we shall smelt the Empire and re-forge it as the New Republic. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes on Verpine Base 6:  
There is no 8 in a Base 6 system. Instead of declaring Wedge’s on the spot math to be wrong, I decided that he was right and Emtry was wrong (Emtry’s 4 fist calculation would be wrong in Base 6, too.) Verpine Base 6 uses the two conversions found in Rogue Squadron to form a numbering system. If you’re actually interested in how many kills I gave Wedge, there should be enough information to back it out. Yes, I am a nerd. Yet I remain oddly proud of this one.


	3. Square Root of Negative One, Givin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the style of Zaymatin’s We.

Square Root of Negative One, Givin

They integrate themselves into the Givin area. Without concern for Givin Governing Formula, they add our station to their own totals. It is a body to be integrated and summed, the derivative spent in the pursuit of pleasure and exponential profit. 

I know they are not all similar. I have seen that the obtuse angles of the Station Master are softened to smooth sinusoidal curves in others, such as the one who speaks his proofs well. 

The Speaker states his givens. The station cannot be allowed to converge to the Warlord's asymptote. The station’s position in the time-space plane is along the lines of travel to and from Thyferra. The Twelve ships need a point of origin. 

He steps through his justifications as easily as equations flow to a stable point. His triangle browed companion, the Leader, listens in while examining the topology of our planet out the station window. 

The justification ends with the hypothesis proven. The Twelve will be loaned the functions of the station for use in their calculations. Instantaneously, their objectives are tangent to our own. The line on the Leader’s face flips from concave to convex. 

For the current limits, the governing equations will be theirs to manipulate and solve. But as time approaches infinity, it will become necessary for the Givin to establish their own equations, their own limits, their own hypothesizes. Only then will exponential growth occur. 

Until then, the logarithmic asymptote has been reached. Perhaps this new tangency will break the cyclic pattern. 


End file.
